Let The Music Guide You Home
by Redwylde
Summary: With Dr Robotnik defeated and Queen Aleena back on her throne, Sonic the Hedgehog discovers that the life of a grounded royal wasn't for him and so he makes the difficult decision to leave his siblings, Manic and Sonia, and live his life in adventure.
1. I: The Day

Princess Sonia Hedgehog stared out over her cosy stone balcony, her mind on something else rather than the returning beauty of her home planet for a change. She gingerly held the pendant of her new necklace, a fashion item compulsory in the blueblood dress code. It was pretty; just as pretty as her new gown, one that matched her brilliant blue eyes. No matter the worth of her new wardrobe and the thousands of pieces of valuable and gorgeous jewellery, she wasn't satisfied. It had been a week now since the trio had defeated the tyrannical Dr Robotnik and his army of innocent victims in tin prisons. She was glad that the roboticised population of Mobius were facing rehabilitation to become servers of society once more, but she couldn't help but sorrow herself for their lives; wasted for nothing. It had been a week. Why wasn't she enjoying the freedom?

Oh, she knew why.  
The idea came back to her when she heard footsteps crowd behind her, stopping close by.  
"Do you really have to go?" she sighed, her eyes on the horizons. The footsteps resumed, a casual figure drawing up beside her as if one could say he lived here. "Sis, you know I have to".  
Sonia turned her head. She didn't really want to. She was mad at him, but she had to. She needed one last good look at him before the final hour. Prince Sonic Hedgehog stood beside her, leaning over the balcony wall with sincere eyes, smiling at her apologetically. The nerve he had, giving her that look. If it really bothered him, he wouldn't be doing this to her.  
"I can't believe after all we've been through... we finally find our mother and restore peace... and you want to leave it all behind!" she growled, jerking her head forward, accusingly. Sonic lowered his ears. She really wasn't making this any easier for him, not that it was entirely easy to begin with. He gave a sigh. "You know I'm no good at this kinda stuff, Sonia," he fiddled with the royal annoyance he bore over his shoulders; his own golden necklace equipped with another precious stone as its pendant, not to mention the little red cape and the gold trim around it. If you asked him, it was way too stuffy for anyone to bear, maybe even for Bartleby. "Makin' laws, goin' to fancy banquets-"  
"But we used to do that all the time!" she protested.  
"Yeah, but back then we were icrashin'/i those parties" he corrected her with a raise of his eyebrow. "I gotta see the world and make tracks. Get caught up in adventure like the old days. I feel like I'm missin' everything that's goin' on out there." He brought his attention back to the view from the balcony, his eyes dimming in slight longing, something he'd never felt before. "Never once complained about being on the run; and the resistance was like a home for me already. I'll always be a Mobius Monty, though... you can count on that."

The pink hedgehog couldn't stand it any longer, and she allowed the tears to stain her peach cheeks, closing her eyes in a quiet prayer. Who knew the freedom of Mobius was the one thing she wished had never been achieved...


	2. II: The Night

"And after this is another oversee of the current laws of Mobius. Then you must attend a dress-fitting session with your siblings in preparation of the opening of the Freedom Day Ball, followed by a toast from her Majesty. Then you-"  
"Alright, alright, I'll get to it, man! Now can we _please_ hold up on this so I can go see my sibs alone? Please?" a snort from a green drummer echoed through the hallowed halls, receiving an obedient bow from his unwanted company with the deep, boring voice. He couldn't remember WHAT his name was, but he sure was annoying. "Of course, sir" with a twitch of his whiskers, the intrusive tiger turned tail with a flick of his tail and marched back down the hall, leaving his superior to travel through the building unescorted.  
"Phew". Prince Manic Hedgehog gave a relieved smile and continued down the corridor. He still couldn't grasp the reality of all of this. A poor city boy who once had to pick pockets for a single meal now walking through the halls of the most regal building ever constructed in the history of Mobius. And what's more; he lived there. He had to hold his head up just for a moment, the important feeling running through him again. He finally mattered in someone's eyes.  
It was a good thing he had his head up, otherwise he'd have missed that clock. He widened his eyes. "Oh.. Oh, man! I'm late!" with a whispered curse, he rushed off down the corridor, round a tight corner and finally out the main door. It was late in the afternoon and Mobius was painted orange with the vibrant sunset, no sign of metal buildings or misty sewers anywhere. Just beauty and fresh-air. Manic took only a moment to bask in the hard-earned beauty of it all before running as fast as he could out into the royal gardens where a labyrinth of topiary bushes awaited his welcome. "Hold on, guys, I'm comin'!"

Sonic stood atop a little mound – not quite a hill – tapping his foot in his signature way. He let out an anxious grunt. "Come on, guuuyyssss, please hurry" with a glance up at the skies, he could see the night rolling in on dark clouds. Almost time.  
To his relief, a pink and a green blob appeared out of the gardens of the palace, urgently trotting up to their brother. Manic's shoulders were battling with his own gold necklace and Sonic gripped the hem of her dress so not to trod on it.  
"I'm waaaiiitttiiiinnnggg" the speedster grinned, Manic cracking an amused grin at that oh so familiar line. He skidded to a halt and watched Sonia pull up beside them, still smiling. "You gonna wait for mother?" he tilted his head.  
Sonic shrugged, genuinely unsure. "Well, I leave when the sun sets, so-"  
"Sonic Hedgehog, you are not going anywhere without saying goodbye to mother!" snarled Sonia, waving a scolding finger. He could see the steam hissing out her ears. Manic waved his arms with a nervous smile. "C-C'mon Sonia, chill out. She'll be here" he nodded, certainly.  
There was a period of silence as the trio stood out in the open, the cooling breeze of the evening disturbing the capes and ruffled trim of the gown, not a sigh nor sound of movement rising from either hedgehog. Sonic looked between the heads of his siblings to gaze upon his mother's castle once more. The lights were on in every room, all except their bedroom. He felt a pang of guilt and shame. No one was making him go, and now he was feeling rather selfish...but...two happy royals was better than three unhappy royals, Sonic knowing very well that if he wasn't happy, they would strive to be unhappy with him if they couldn't cheer him up, as good siblings do.


	3. III: The Music

Sonia's heart dropped once she noticed the first star appear in the sky, her tears threatening to return again.  
"Looks like it's time, bro..." the young Prince sighed. Sonic blinked and followed his gaze, spotting the star shining behind him. He nodded. Sonia could've strangled Manic for pointing that out. Before anyone knew what was happening, Manic dove forward and fastened himself to Sonic's front, his arms buckled around his back in a meaningful man-hug. He nuzzled the side of his brother's head. "We'll always be the Sonic Underground...right?" he sniffled.  
Sonic grinned. "You kiddin'? What kinda question is that? Couldn't play without my keyboard-player and drummer" he nuzzled his brother back, holding him tight. Manic's tears finally found him, trickling down his cheek. Although Sonic couldn't see these tears, he could hear them in his voice. "And don't forget to visit all the time. If you're gone too long, those chilidog vendors are gonna go outta business"  
Sonic couldn't help letting out a laugh; even Sonia was giggling. At that, she pushed forward too, occupying her brother's other side with goodbye nuzzles. She was battling Manic for a chance at his front, though. "Our music won't sound any good without you" she blubbed. With this, Sonic pulled back from their hugs and held up his medallion, the very one he had kept with him since birth. Manic gasped.  
"You're takin' it with you!"  
"Well sure," Sonic nodded. "And anytime I'm passin' by, I'll play you some tunes and you'll always know I'm still runnin'".  
It was Sonic's turn to choke. Tears flew down his cheeks and his knees began to tremble. Ever so slowly he removed his gold necklace and red cape, replacing them with his dearly beloved medallion. "Here," he held them forward. "Take them, so they'll always be safe, and I'll always be home, no matter where I am" he sniffled, rubbing his eyes. The triplets erupted in sobs and Sonia took his clothing, holding it safely in her quivering arms. When Sonic took that backwards step, everything seemed to darken. "Tell mother I-"  
Manic nodded. "We know... We love you, bro" he gave a thumbs up and wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulder, trying to ignore that awkward necklace limiting his movements. Sonic returned that thumbs up, grinning as he backed away. "Love you too, guys."

Hearts snapped in two that day as Sonic hauled some serious haunch over the hills of Mobotropolis, into the horizons. Manic and Sonia stood and waved and cried until he was out of sight, words unable to express how wrong it felt to be so far away from each other.  
Sonic stood for a moment, just an inch out of view of his home. Was he really about to do this?  
"I know it's hard, my son, but the dream's we don't pursue can haunt us forever"  
He recognised that voice. With a swivel on the spot, he saw her approach from the bushes, pulling the hood down from her head. "Mother?" he gasped. "I thought you weren't coming!"  
"I'd follow my children to the ends of Mobius whenever they needed me" she smiled and bent down to give him a kiss on the cheek, her lips soft like the inside of a rose. Sonic half-blushed at the affection. "Just be careful out there, my sweetheart" her smile grew. The prince lowered his ears and glanced into the unknown Mobius. "You mean you're not mad at me for leaving? Even when the prophecy said we had to become the Council of Four?"  
The Queen shook her head. "I want you to be happy, wherever you decide to go. I will miss you, as will your brother and sister, but we wouldn't be such a loving family if we kept you imprisoned in a world you didn't want to live in" she nodded, chuckling slightly. Sonic's eyes widened in awe. Was it just him or did he have the coolest mum ever? He smiled.  
"Thanks, mum" he gave her a warm hug and tried to stifle the tears in her presence. "Split a chilidog for me, huh?"  
Aleena laughed with a voice of silk, holding him even tighter. Her dark purple hair brushed his cheeks. She was so warm. "I love you so much, my little Sonic" she whispered in his ear and gave him another kiss, this time on the forehead. More stars began to twinkle their way into the night sky and as they separated, the Queen waved goodbye to her precious baby for the second time, her own tears staining her cheeks as he set out to conquer the world on his own...alone. "Stay safe, little prince..."

As Sonic the Hedgehog blasted off into the unknown distance, both sadness and excitement gripped him. His adventure was beginning once more. Just before he was gone forever, the skies blew a strange wisp of strong wind, a familiar sound travelling in its grip. Although there were no instruments playing, the sound of a blue guitar, a pink keyboard and a green drum danced around the land of Mobius and it would never ever be silenced until that fateful day when Prince Sonic would once again return to his family.


End file.
